On 3rd July 2007, the
Swiss pioneer Louis Palmer set off from Lucerne in his solar taxi.
His goal: to be the first person ever to travel round the world in a
vehicle driven by solar power. And seven months to the day later, he
has reached an important stage. With his arrival in Perth on 3rd
March 2008 he has now been through 20 countries and covered 21146
km– half of his journey around the world.

The KKL in Lucerne
provided the backdrop for Palmer’s departure from Lucerne last
summer in a vehicle which had been developed as a joint venture by
four Swiss universities. Since then he has crossed Europe, the
Middle East, India, Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia.

Like a Swiss watch across three
continents

By his own account the
solar taxi is running “like a Swiss watch”. Technical difficulties
have only led to a delay of three days so far, whereas bureaucratic
problems, for example with Saudi Arabia, led to a lot more time
being lost: the solar taxi team had to hold out three weeks at the
border. The solar taxi caused a sensation worldwide as an official
taxi at the World Climate Change Conference in Bali last December
when its passengers included ministers and delegates from all over
the world. With this expedition, Palmer wants to make people aware
of possible solutions against climate change. The solar taxi travels
conventionally between the continents: by ship. For example on their
way from Bali to New Zealand, the solar taxi and its crew were
privileged to be guests on board the Greenpeace
flagship, RainbowWarrior. From Australia, it continued its journey
to Singapore by ship.

A network of like-minded people
and friends

The solar taxi is not
just dependent on attention from the media and a wide public on its
travels. Thanks to the global network of Presence Switzerland and
the support of many Swiss embassies en route, the solar taxi
benefits from a first important network. A second, equally important
network of universities and solar energy enthusiasts, as well as the
patronage of the UNO organization UNEP (United Nations Environment
Programme), ensure the expedition friendly support along its entire
route.